Boat canopy



Feb; 17, 1959 w. cousE ETAL BOAT CANOPY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 27. 1956 K155 622/61 at 506 02 2 :22??? Feb. 17, 1959 K. w. COUSE ETAL 2, 7

BOAT CANOPY Filed Nov. 27. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 BOAT CANOPY Kibbey W. Couse, Newark, and Robert D. Keehn, Hillside, N. J., assignors to Couse Manufacturing, Inc.,

Newark, N. 1., a corporation of New Jersey Application November 27, 1956, Serial No. 624,545

6 Claims. (Cl. 135-6) This invention relates to a canopy construction and more particularly to a canopy for a boat which canopy is hingedly fastened to the boat cabin.

Canopies in the form of large canvas members are often positioned at the aft portion of small boats, such as cabin cruisers and the like, to protect the open after deck area from the elements, i. e., the sun and rain. Often, the canvas canopies are erected each time the boat is used and then taken down when the boat is docked. The job of setting up and removing the canvas canopy may become tedious and difficult due to the bulkiness, and cumbersome nature, of the canvas. Further, when a canvas canopy is used in foul and rainy weather, water often collects at the low points in the canvas and is not easily drained until the canvas is taken down. Prolonged exposures to atmospheric condi- 1 of the said canopy roof member; a boat cabin extension portion terminating in an arched roof and substantially vertically positioned spaced side members, the cabin extension termination being of substantially identical shape to the adjacent canopy end; means pivotally connecting the said canopy to the said cabin extension portion at the said side members below the level of the said cabin roof member; a sealing strip attached to the upper surfaces of the said roof members and forming a transversely arched U-shaped channel portion between the said canopy and cabin when the said canopy is in the raised position.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description when taken with the accompanying drawings. It will be understood the drawings are for purposes of illustration and are not to be construed as defining the scope or limits of the invention, reference being had for the latter purpose to the appended claims. a

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote like parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side view, with parts broken away, of a canopy construction for a cabin type boat tions, particularly when wet, is deleterious to the canvas. 7

The canopy construction of our invention eliminates the necessity for large canvas members and instead utilizes a rigid, arched, canopy which is hingedly connected to the upper rear portion of a boat cabin and which may be easily raised and lowered by hand by one person. The canopy may be made of material which is substantially unaffected by the elements. A flexible sealing strip, which is of such a construction so as to prevent the accumulation of water thereon, is fastened between the rigid canopy and cabin. In short, the canopy construction of our invention obviates all of the dis advantages of the prior art canvas type canopies described above, including the inconveniences involved in the erection and removing of such canopies.

An object of this invention is the provision of a rigid boat canopy made of plastic, or the like, which is hingedly fastened to the cabin portion of a boat, and adapted to be raised into a position forming an extension of the cabin roof.

An object of this invention is the provision of a boat canopy which is pivotally connected to the cabin structure of a cabin boat, and a weather-proof sealing means connected therebetween.

An object of this invention is the provision of a boat cabin and canopy construction comprising a cabin having a roof extension member extending therefrom, an elongated canopy pivotally supported from the said roof extension member, a pair of vertically extending supporting members positioned a spaced distance from the said canopy, and detent members pivotally connected to the said supporting members and adapted to support the said canopy in a raised position, the said detent members being adapted to be pivoted from under the said canopy to a position wherein the canopy may be pivoted past the said detent members.

An object of this invention is the provision of a canopy for a boat which is pivotally supported at the rear of the boat cabin; the said canopy comprising an elongated, transversely arched, roof member, substantially vertically positioned spaced side members extending longitudinally showing the canopy in a raised position;

Figure 2 is a view which is similar to Figure 1 only showing the canopy in a lowered position;

Figure 3 is a top view of a flexible sealing member which is used between the canopy and cabin;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary top view of the canopy and cabin showing the sealing member attached therebetween;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary end view of a canopy supporting device having detent members pivotally attached thereto, which detent members are shown supportin the canopy in a raised position;

Figure 7 is a view which is similar to Figure 6 only showing the detent members pivoted to a disengaged position;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary top view of the canopy supporting apparatus and showing the canopy supported in the raised position;

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional end View of one of the detent members in the same position as illustrated in Figure 6;

Figure 10 is a view which is similar to Figure 9 only showing the detent member in a disengaged position; 1

Figure 11 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional top view of one detent member in a canopy supporting position; and

Figure 12 is a view which is similar to Figure 11 only showing the detent member pivoted to a disengaged position.

Referring now to Figure 1 of the drawings, a canopy 15 is shown pivotally supported at the rear of a boat cabin 16, from an integrally formed cabin extension portion 16. Only a small, fragmentary, portion of the cabin is shown in the drawings; it being understood that the cabin is of any desired over-all shape and design, and forms a portion of a boat of the cabin cruiser type, for example. The canopy 15 comprises an elongated, transversely arched, roof member 17 (the canopy curvature being seen best in the rear views of Figures 6 and 7) which roof member terminates in substantially vertically positioned, spaced, side members 18 extending longitudinally thereof. The cabin extension portion 16' terminates, at the rear end thereof, in a substantially identically shaped, transversely arched, roof portion 20 which is also provided with substantially vertically positioned spaced side members 21. The front ends of the canopy side members 18 are provided with integrally formed,

asse /s1 forward extending hinge members 23 which are off-set outwardly from the canopy side members 18, and which extend parallel to and adjacent the outside of the cabin side members 21. The hingev members 23 are pivotally connected. to the cabin side members 21 by use of hinge pins 26 extending through the adjacent parts. This type hinge construction results in a gap, or space, between cabin and canopy roofs which is covered over by a flexible sealing member 27. The sealing member is, secured to the top surfaces of the adjacent cabin and canopy roof members with the ends overhanging the sides at the hinged joint structure. The flexible sealing member may be made of rubberized canvas, flexible plastic, or other suitable, water-repellant, material. When the canopy is in the raised position, as shown in Figure 1, the flexible sealing member forms a generally U-shaped, transversely extending, channel between the canopy and cabin. The canopy is supported in the raised position by means of detent members 28 which are pivotally mounted upon a supporting member 29; a detailed description of which is given below.

The canopy is adapted to be pivoted downwardly from the generally horizontal position to Figure 1 to the inclined position shown in Figure 2. Referring to Figure 2, in the lowered position of the canopy shown therein, the rear edge of the canopy rests upon cushions 31 which are secured to the deck 32 of the boat. With the canopy in this lowered position, the flexible sealing member 27 is stretched taut along the entire width of the canopy. It will be apparent that the gap, or space, between the roof members 17 and of the canopy and cabin, respectively, is greatest along the longitudinal center of the roof members and narrower at both sides thereof, when the canopy is in the lowered position. This is due, both, to the location of the pivot pins at a level below the cabin roof member 20 and to the transversely arched shape of the cabin and canopy roof members. (The change in gap width between the cabin and canopy roof members is seen in Figure 2 of the drawings wherein the front edge 17' of the canopy forms an acute angle with the rear edge 20' of the. cabin extension portion.) For this reason the flexible sealing member 27 must also be wider at the longitudinal center than near the edges of the. roof members in order to form a taut covering between the cabin roof and the lowered canopy roof. Referring to Figure 3, the flexible sealing member 27, in a free state or condition, is in the form of an elongated member having outwardly extending, bowed, edges 27'. In the fragmentary top view of the cabin and canopy shown in Figure 4, it is seen that the flexible sealing member 27 is secured therebetween in a manner such that the edges 27 of the sealing member are parallel to the spaced edges of the canopy and cabin roof members. With a properly shaped flexible. sealing member, such as shown in Figure 3, secured to the roof members in the manner illustrated in Figure 4, the sealing member is drawn taut when the canopy is in the lowered position, as shown in Figure 2.

Wih our novel canopy and flexible sealing member construction, water cannot collect thereon and, instead, readily runs off. In either the lowered or raised position of the canopy, the transverse arch of the cabin and canopy roof members 20 and 17, respectively, prevents water from collecting thereon. In the lowered position of the canopy the flexible sealing member is taut, and inclined in the area between the roof members, thereby making it impossible for water to collect thereon. In the raised position of the canopy, as seen in Figure 1 and in the sectional View of Figure 5, the U-shaped channel which is formed by the flexible sealing member is also transversely arched thereby permitting water to drain from either side of the flexible member. Referring to Figure 5, the bow, or arch, in the flexible sealing memher, when forming the U-shaped channel between the roof members while the canopy is in the raised position,

is clearly seen. The transverse arch of the canopy and cabin roof members causes the arch in the flexible sealing member when the canopy is in the raised position, despite the fact that the flexible sealing member is widest at the center and narrows at the sides. Consequently, no Water collects on the flexible sealing member when the canopy is in either the lowered or raised position.

It will here be noted that while the canopy and cabin may be made of wood, metal, plastic or other suitable material, the use of plastic is preferred; plastic being light in weight, strong and easy to mould in the desired shapes and forms. Our invention is not limited, however, to the use of plastics, although plastic is the preferred material of construction.

As mentioned above, the canopy is supported in the raised position by the detent members 28 which are pivotally mounted on the supporting member 29. The function and operation of these members is best shown in Figures 6 through 12. Referring first to Figure 6, the detent members 28, pivotally supported by pivot pins 35 on the supporting member 29, are shown in a canopy supporting, or engaging position. For rigidity, the supporting member 29 is made in a large inverted U-shaped form having vertically extending parallel leg portions 29' which are securely anchored to the deck by any suitable means. In lowering the canopy from the raised position shown in Figure 6, the canopy is first raised slightly, and the detent members swung out from under the canopy to the position shown in Figure 7, in which position the canopy is free to be pivoted into the lowered position shown in Figure 2. To raise the canopy from the lowered position, the procedure is merely reversed.

Details of the detent. construction are best seen in. the enlarged fragmentary views of Figures 9 through 12, wherein a detent member is shown which is in a U-shaped form having parallel leg portions 36 which extend past opposite sides of the supporting member 29. Each leg portion. 36, as seen in Figures 9 and 10 is of a generally right triangular shape and has a hole near the lower apex thereof. through which the pivot pin 35 extends. The inner ends of the triangular-shaped leg members 36 are provided with generally vertically positioned lug members 37 which extend upwardly past the upper edge of the leg portion 36, as best seen in Figure 9, and which are positioned inwardly of the said parallel leg portions 36, as best seen in Figures 1.1 and 12. In the canopy supporting position. of the detent members, as shown in Figures 9 and 11, the lug members 37 extend upwardly inside of the canopy and thereby prevent the detent members from swinging outwardly into the canopy disengaging position. When the detent members are swung outwardly from beneath the canopy, as. seen in Figures 10 and 12, the lug members 37 limit the pivotal movement of the detent members to. the point where the lug members engage the supporting. member 39. It is seen then, that the detent members provide a simple, yet extremely effective support for the canopy.

Having now described our invention in detail in accordance with the patent statutes, various changes and modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in this art, and it is intended that such changes and modifications shall fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as recited in'the following claims.

We claim:

1. In combination in a canopyand canopy supporting structure: a canopy comprising an elongated, transversely arched roof member; substantially vertically positioned spaced side members extending longitudinally of the said roof member; a canopy supporting structure having a transversely arched roof member and substantially vertically positioned spaced side members, the. said canopy and canopy supporting structure having substantially identically shaped and spaced ends; means pivotally connecting the said canopy and canopy supporting. structure side members; a flexible sealing member attached to the said roof members and forming a transversely arched channel portion therebetween when the said canopy roof member is positioned a parallel spaced distance from the said canopy supporting structure roof member.

2. The invention as recited in claim 1 wherein the said flexible sealing member is of a generally elongated shape having oppositely disposed convex edges.

3. In a cabin boat canopy construction, the combination of: a boat cabin having a roof member; an elongated canopy pivotally supported at the rear of the said cabin roof member; a pair of vertically extending supporting members positioned a spaced distance from the said canopy; and detent members pivotally connected to the said supporting members and adapted to support the said canopy in a raised position, the said detent members being adapted for pivotal movement from under the said canopy to a position wherein the canopy may be pivoted past the said detent members into a lowered position.

4. The invention as recited in claim 3 wherein the said detent members are of a generally U-shaped form having parallel leg members which extend inwardly of the said canopy on opposite sides of the said supporting members, and lug members fastened to the inner end portions of the said parallel leg members and extending upwardly therefrom, the said leg members being adapted to engage the said canopy in the canopy raised position and the said supporting members in the canopy lowered position.

5. In combination in a canopy support and attached canopy construction; an elongated, transversely arched, canopy roof; substantially vertically positioned spaced canopy side members extending longitudinally of the said canopy roof; a canopy support terminating at one edge thereof in an arched roof and substantially vertically positioned spaced side members, the said one edge of the canopy support being of substantially identical shape to the adjacent end of the canopy; means pivotally connecting the said canopy and canopy support such that the canopy and canopy support roof members are a spaced distance apart; a sealing member attached to the said canopy and canopy support members and forming a transversely arched U-shaped channel portion between the said canopy and canopy support when the said canopy is in a raised position, the said sealing member being stretched taut when the said canopy is in a lowered position.

6. The invention as recited in claim 5 wherein the said flexible sealing member is of a generally elongated shape having oppositely disposed convex edges and which is secured to the upper surface of said canopy and canopy support members, the said convex edges being positioned a spaced distance from the spaced edges of the said canopy and canopy support members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 443,108 Owen Dec. 23, 1890 1,199,766 Dewstow Oct. 3, 1916 1,508,065 Ramsdell Sept. 9, 1924 2,570,911 Birdlebough Oct. 9, 1951 2,625,165 Eskew Jan. 13, 1953 

